Indebted
by Arigatomina
Summary: Shonen ai, KuramaHieiHieiKurama. The last time Kurama was hit by the 'fruit of the past life,' he regressed to a full grown youko. This time he's much younger, and he's attached himself to a very unwilling Hiei, literally.
1. Part 1

Category: Anime, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, TWT  
Warnings: humor, fluff, shonen ai  
Pairings: Hiei-Kurama / Kurama-Hiei 

Indebted

Part 1

Border control had to be the most boring thing Hiei had ever done. When he first started working for Mukuro, the female had at least kept him occupied, wiping the memories of those ningens stupid enough to wander into the Makai. But there weren't that many of them. Now, he was stuck watching the southern border of the youkai's land, something he did with his usual zeal. There was no need to actually have his eyes open to know if any dangerous demons crossed the unmarked line of territory, so he dozed, stretched out on one of his favorite perches. He wasn't expecting to sense reiki during his 'guard duty,' so he never felt his abrupt visitor.

"Hiei! Hiei! It's an emergency!"

With a startled jerk, the little youkai promptly pitched off the limb, his arms barely catching him in time as he hung, suspended over the thirty-foot drop. Wide red eyes stared in shock as Botan moved so their faces were even, the thick tree branch separating them.

"There's no time to play," Botan scolded, frowning when Hiei blinked at her, his face completely blank. The demon's bandaged right hand was curled under the limb, and she tugged on his sleeve, nearly pulling him free.

"Come on!" she urged. "Hurry, it's an emergency!"

"Kisama!"

Hiei glared at the bright-eyed messenger and jerked his arm away from her. Then he froze. Botan blinked at him a second before he fell, taking out a dozen small branches before he managed to land in a crouch yards below her. The girl followed him on her floating oar and his fingers twitched for his sword.

"Omae o..."

"Not now," Botan snapped.

She grabbed his arm and jerked him off the limb. He flailed for a second before going taut, his dead weight making her drop feet before she could level out.

"Koenma-sama needs you," she called down to the demon, taking in his dumbfounded expression...and the sword in his hand. "Kurama's missing."

He'd been about three seconds away from either killing the female or cutting off the tail of that ridiculous oar, but Hiei paused, eyes narrowing.

"What's that have to do with me?" he growled.

They were high enough that a drop might hurt more than listening would, so he grabbed the back of her oar and swung himself up to crouch on it. There wasn't much room, but he balanced well enough.

"And how did you find me?" Hiei added.

Botan smiled back at him, her sideways position making it easy. "Oh, Mukuro said you'd be in the tallest tree. Don't worry, she gave permission to take you to the Ningenkai."

"Oh did she..." The female was nodding adamantly, and Hiei clutched the oar when her movement made it shiver. "Watch what you're doing!"

"What? Oh...hai!" Smiling weakly, Botan leveled the oar again, aiming it toward the rift Koenma had opened for her between the two worlds. "Don't worry, we'll be there in no time."

Hiei's eyebrow twitched. "I never said I'd go."

"But you are," Botan reminded him, glancing at the oar he was standing on before frowning up at him. "And you have to go. Kurama's missing!"

"Who cares!"

Bright eyes widened at him, and Hiei glared at the girl's open mouth. His voice dropped into a more calm tone and he sheathed his sword with the least amount of movement. "What does that have to do with me?"

Hiei sounded careless, but she wasn't fooled for a second. Facing away from him, Botan sped farther from Mukuro's territory. He wasn't going to just jump off, at least, she didn't think he would.

"Koenma-sama can't find him anywhere," said Botan, "but he found the remains of a youkai near Kurama's house."

An impatient huff sounded behind her, and she shot a worried glance back at him. "It was one of Mukuro's men, she identified him before I came to get you."

"What?" Hiei blinked. "Who-"

"No one very strong, but she said he had access to her storage rooms." Botan tensed a bit as she remembered the uncomfortable discussion with Mukuro, but at least Hiei was paying attention now, not looking quite so impatient. "She thinks he attacked Kurama because of Yomi."

"But-"

Hiei's mouth snapped shut when he was interrupted again, and he really had to clench his hands not to reach for his sword.

"I know," Botan said quickly, not noting the way her passenger's eyes were blazing at her. "Kurama hasn't had any contact with Yomi in over a year. But he did work for him. That's the only motive we could think of."

The blue-haired girl stopped talking, and Hiei's lips curled a bit, revealing small glints of his fangs.

"And you got me because...?"

"To find Kurama," said Botan. "Mukuro said you could use your jagan to find him since Koenma-sama hasn't been able to."

A vicious curse burnt her ears and Hiei's arm cut through the air. Botan ducked instinctively.

"Mukuro said! You asked her permission to use me? That woman does not-"

Hiei bit off his own words this time, his mouth snapping shut as the force of his movements sent him tilting to the left. He grabbed Botan's pale pink robes without thinking. She pitched off the side along with him, her startled shriek making him let go just as quickly. And then he was falling again.

Catching hold of her oar, Botan let out a relieved breath before darting after the black-clothed figure. It was a good thing he didn't weigh that much, or even his flapping cloak wouldn't have kept him from falling much quicker. She grabbed his arm, wincing at the weight and frowning down at his furious expression.

"You're as bad as Yusuke," she muttered. "If you can't sit still we'll never get there."

A low growl rumbled through the slight figure, and she tightened her hold on his wrist, not bothering to pull him any higher.

"Let's go!"

Hiei's black cloak snapped about his legs as the girl suddenly put on a burst of speed. He cursed and held tight to her hand. As soon as his feet were on the ground, someone was going to pay for this. He guaranteed it.

.-.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were waiting in Koenma's office when Botan returned to the Reikai, the chibi-ruler standing on the chair behind his desk. A shadow flicked into the room and directly to the side of his chair. Turning, the infant looked up at Hiei with wide, bright eyes. "Hiei, you made good time. Now, then, what I want you to do is-"

Hiei's blade stopped him. Koenma's eyes crossed as he stared at the tip a few centimeters away from his nose.

"Oi, shrimp!" blurted Kuwabara. "What do you think you're doing?"

He moved away from Yusuke to scowl down at Hiei. Blazing red eyes flicked up at him and he blinked, leaning back a bit.

"Eh..." Wisely keeping silent, Yusuke glanced over Hiei's face, taking in the anger there.

"I told him there wasn't time to play," Botan said, shrugging.

With a nod, Yusuke moved to stand on the other side of Hiei, his own expression calm. "Hiei. Kurama's missing."

"Ch'." Sheathing his sword with a surge of irritated disappointment, Hiei glanced to the side, taking in the half-ningen's appearance. Yusuke hadn't changed much in the last year, though his slicked-back hair was a little longer.

"I heard," Hiei muttered.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Kuwabara.

He leaned down and raised an eyebrow at the little demon. If he hadn't known better he would have sworn Hiei looked...disheveled somehow. "Don't you plan to help? After all the times Kurama saved you, you're still going to be like that?"

Hiei wheeled to glare up at him, but he didn't react, poking a finger at the demon's face. "You owe him, shrimp. Face it."

Hiei's first instinct was to break the baka's finger, and then deny the accusation. But a part of him paused long enough to think back and he clenched his teeth, giving the ningen a dark scowl. Kurama had saved him, at least once. And he couldn't remember ever having repaid that favor.

"Ch'."

Rolling his eyes at Kuwabara's confused expression, Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and moved back to lean against the wall. His upper lip curled a bit when he saw Yusuke's knowing smile, and he shot a sideways look at Koenma. "You want me to find him. That's all?"

"Well, assuming he isn't captured somewhere," Koenma said quickly, sucking nervously on the ring in his mouth, the large pacifier bobbing in front of his face. "You can find people with your jagan, so I called you."

With a long-suffering sigh, Hiei reached up and pulled the band off his jagan. He blinked his real eyes as he focused on the third sight. He hadn't used the jagan in quite some time. There wasn't any need when all Mukuro had him doing was playing watch-guard. It didn't take more than a few seconds to remember Kurama's distinct youki, and he focused on it the same way he'd once used the jagan to find Yukina. He didn't see the room they were in, but rather glimpses of a vaguely familiar desk, roses on a kitchen table, glass doors facing the garden behind the house...and then his sight stopped shifting. His teeth gnashed and he glared red eyes at the four expectant gazes.

"Idiots," he spat. "He's at his house."

"No he's not!" Kuwabara rejected, frowning. "We checked! That thing must not be working right."

Incredulous anger erupted over the black-haired youkai's face, and Yusuke moved to place himself between the two. "Hiei, we did check there first. There wasn't any sight of him."

"Are you sure you aren't picking up past trails?" Koenma asked, hopping out of his chair so he could cross the room. Hiei growled at him, but he wasn't bothered by it. "Mukuro said you hadn't used the jagan in a while. Why don't you try again."

"Kisama..."

Glaring at all of them, Hiei's fists clenched in frustrated anger. They dragged him into the Reikai, enlisted his help, and then doubted his ability to use his own jagan. He knew what he'd seen. True, the youki he'd sensed was very faint, and it was different from how he remembered it. But it still had Kurama's distinct residue written all over it. Unfortunately there was no way to prove it except by showing them.

With a pointed glare at Yusuke, he shoved away from the wall. "Follow me."

.-.

The first thing Hiei noticed when they arrived at Kurama's human residence was how jagged the front lawn was. That was absolute proof that the redhead hadn't touched the grass in at least a day. But Hiei was sure of what he'd sensed, so he led Yusuke around the side of the house and into the garden, Botan and Kuwabara following behind.

Despite his vision, Hiei came to a sudden stop as he saw the remains of an immaculate garden.

"What the hell happened?" cried Kuwabara.

His eyes roved over the tangled vines and thorns that covered the back half of the garden. The flowers were untouched close to the house, but starting about five feet from the back door, the garden looked like a giant mass of plants, all intertwining in a relative curving wall.

Kuwabara's face screwed up in confusion. "It looks like a big green...hairball...or something!"

"Baka," said Hiei.

The orange-haired human jerked, but Hiei wasn't really paying him any attention. Moving close to the entangled mass, he stared into the shadows beneath those overlapping vines. It didn't look big enough to allow movement, but he was absolutely certain Kurama was inside that.

His eyes caught Yusuke, and he nodded toward the protective nest. "You didn't investigate this?"

"That wasn't there when we searched yesterday," Yusuke said quickly, not going too close to the mass. "It looks like a...cocoon...or something."

His eyes widened suddenly and he jumped back, staring at Hiei. "That's Kurama?"

"I don't know," Hiei admitted.

He walked around the mess, glaring into the black shadow his jagan saw within the green. He couldn't make out any shapes, but he could feel that odd youki, just a hint of something, a hint of Kurama. But it definitely wasn't the same. He couldn't sense any reiki at all. He was just making up his mind to try touching the outmost vines when his body froze, muscles clenching suddenly.

"Does he think Kurama made that?" Kuwabara asked, sticking close to Yusuke. The dark-haired teen shrugged, and he blinked when Botan leaned close to them. "What?"

"I think something's wrong," Botan whispered, her eyes big as she stared at Hiei's wide red eyes.

Hiei was standing very still, but she could see his fingers twitching, his arms out to his sides. Moving closer to Yusuke, she called out warily. "Ano...Hiei? Is-"

Hiei let out a sharp, odd, sound that made her flatten against the boy behind her. She gasped and stared as Hiei suddenly tore his cloak off, flinging it away with a shaking arm.

Yusuke pushed past Botan, taking a few quick steps toward his friend before hesitating. "Hiei? What is it?"

Hiei was beyond answering, his eyes locked on the bit of gray fur poking out the edge of his pants leg. His calf muscles twitched and something sharp pricked his leg, more of that fur disappearing into the black cloth. He stared at the small bulge near his ankle, and he held his breath, forcing his heart to stop pounding in his ears so he could think. Then he bent as fast as he could and grabbed that bit of fur, jerking the thing free with a slice of hot pain along his calf. There was a hiss as the creature scrambled at his bandaged hand. Then it freed itself and leapt for his face. Hiei jerked back. The next thing he knew he was sitting on the grass with something warm inside his shirt and Yusuke crouched next to him.

"Hiei! What...is..." Yusuke's voice trailed away when he saw the wide-eyed, panicked look on his normally cold friend's face. He glanced down to see what Hiei was staring at.

Something was curled up inside Hiei's sleeveless black shirt.

Yusuke let out a sharp breath, not sure what to do. "What's that?"

Hiei's muscles twitched, telling him he could move again. He curled his fingers around the neck of his shirt, glaring with just a hint of his previous shock. He was a little worried about scaring the thing into clawing him again, but there was no way it could stay in his shirt. With dark foreboding, he pulled the cloth away from his neck and peered into his shirt. Two sparks peered back out at him and he blinked.

"What the hell..."

"What is it?" Yusuke asked, leaning closer.

Hiei flinched and Yusuke frowned for a second before leaning back again. Whatever it was, it must not have liked the sound of his voice, because that small bump moved suddenly, disappearing around the side of Hiei's chest.

Hiei's right arm flew up, and he nearly pitched onto his left side when tiny claws scrambled around him till that warmth was pressed to his back.

"That's it," Hiei growled, his neck arched so he could look over his shoulder at the lump. "I'm killing it."

"But what is it?" Yusuke asked, his voice a low whisper. Kuwabara and Botan had inched closer to them, but he didn't look, his eyes trained on that little bulge pressed to Hiei's lower back.

"It's a fox," said Hiei.

Red eyes met dark brown and Hiei's head snapped back again, disbelief blazing from his outraged voice as he stared down at the lump. "Kurama?"

Pulling his shirt away from his back, he glared down at those small glinting eyes. "If that's you, get the hell out of there!"

The little fox's face was mostly hidden by shadowy gray fur, but he got the distinct impression its ears flattened against its head. A sharp laugh caught his attention, and he tensed, narrow eyes turning to Yusuke.

"And just what are you laughing at?" growled Hiei.

"Kurama's in your shirt!" Yusuke jerked back when the youkai's fist swung at him, but he couldn't help laughing.

"I'm sorry!" he managed. "But what did he do, shrink or something? I didn't think Kurama's fox form was that small."

"Oi, Urameshi!" Kuwabara called. "What are you talking about?"

There didn't seem to be any danger, and Kuwabara glanced from Yusuke to Hiei, wondering why they were both on the ground. Something shuffled along the short demon's back and he blinked, leaning closer.

"What's that?" asked Kuwabara.

"That," Yusuke grinned, "is Kurama."

"Did he get shrunk?" Kuwabara asked, his eyes widening as he remembered the spell Rando had cast on him so long ago. His hand moved toward Hiei's shirt so he could look, and he flinched, wincing when a strong grip closed over his wrist.

"Touch me and die," Hiei growled, his grip tightening until the human pulled away.

"Well, pull him out of there," Yusuke said, still fighting a smile. "We'll take him to Koenma. He'll know what to do."

"Why is he in your shirt?" Kuwabara frowned, rubbing his wrist.

"How would I know?" Hiei glared.

He turned at the waist and pulled the bottom of his shirt loose. But when he lifted it, the little fox scrambled higher on his back as if avoiding the daylight. The claws couldn't have been very big, but they were sharp enough to make his shoulders jerk back.

"Damn it," Hiei muttered. "Stay still."

A hand fell on his shoulder and he frowned, looking up to find Yusuke crouching near him.

"Put your arms down so he can't get on your front," Yusuke advised. His lips were still twitching. He couldn't help it. Hiei looked completely out of his element. "I'll grab him."

"Ch', fine." Arms tight against his sides, Hiei looked over his shoulder at the shivering lump with a dark frown. "But be quick about it."

His shirt was pulled up and Hiei's head tilted back, shoulders hunched as the little fox moved up as well. He couldn't see it anymore, but he could definitely feel tiny claws burying themselves in his skin.

Yusuke blinked when he caught sight of the little fox curled up against the back of Hiei's head. Its face was mostly shielded by a bushy silver tail, and it didn't look much bigger than a grapefruit. Botan sighed behind him and Yusuke smiled.

"Kawai," Botan said, her eyes wide.

"Get it off," Hiei muttered, his teeth clenched in preparation for the removal of those claws. "You can look at it later."

"Right," said Yusuke.

He leaned close and grabbed a handful of fur near the little thing's neck. A muffled hiss reached him, then Hiei jerked forward and he hesitated.

"Ah!" Hiei gasped. The little bastard was biting him. "Yusuke, get it off me!"

Yusuke tugged harder on the fox's neck, his eyes widening when it still didn't come loose. In fact, the harder he pulled the more Hiei's shoulders flexed inward. He changed his grip, closing his fingers around that bushy tail and pulling on that instead. The fox uncurled, tiny feet leaving small claw marks as they kicked at Hiei's back. Yusuke's mouth fell open. Its face was tapered, just like any fox, but those small jaws were closed tight around a thick pinch of flesh.

"Shit, Hiei," Yusuke blinked. "It's got a death-grip on your neck..."

"I know that," Hiei growled, his chest heaving as he glared at Kuwabara. The orange-haired ningen was the only one in his line of vision, and he wanted to smack the baka for staring at him like that. "I don't care, just pull it off."

Yusuke shook his head and pulled harder. Hiei let out a tight grunt of pain and he winced. Then he was falling back as the little fox suddenly let go and turned on him. He had a flashing sight of wild golden eyes and fast little paws. The next second he was on his butt in the grass, vague stripes of pain burning his cheeks.

"What the..."

"Yusuke!" cried Botan. "Are you all right?"

She knelt beside him and touched hesitant fingertips to the bright cuts along his face. The boy blinked at her in confusion and she relaxed. "It's okay, he didn't take your eyes out. But I think we should wait and let Koenma-sama handle this. If that's Kurama, he must not realize what he's doing."

Yusuke rubbed a hand over his cheek and blinked at the bits of blood on his palm. "Damn."

His eyes snapped up and he pushed to his feet, looking around the ground. "Where'd he go?"

"Where do you think?" Kuwabara snorted, his eyes shining when Hiei shoved past him to retrieve his cloak.

"Back into the nest?" Yusuke asked, leaning over the large bundle of vines. At least now he knew what they were there for. "How are we supposed to get him out of there? If Koenma's going to take care of this, he'll have to come to us."

"No, Urameshi," Kuwabara drawled, "he's not in there."

Yusuke frowned at him, and Kuwabara smirked suddenly, waving a hand at the demon dressing behind him. Hiei's back was to them as he swung his cloak over his shoulders.

"Then where-" Yusuke's mouth snapped shut when Hiei suddenly turned to face them, and his lips twitched furiously. The little youkai had death in his eyes, and a curled up fox on his head. One look at the black hair caught in the silver kitsune's mouth about summed it up for him. The little fox's eyes looked just as dangerous as Hiei's did. Yusuke couldn't help the laugh that broke past his lips.

"Yusuke," Botan cried, her hand shooting out to cover his mouth.

Hiei glared and walked past them, and she slowly released Yusuke.

"I don't think he can handle being laughed at right now," whispered Botan. "He doesn't look very happy. Let's just get back to the Reikai."

Kuwabara didn't take the advice. "Yo, runt! What's your hurry?"

He snickered when Hiei stopped at the edge of the yard, not having waited for them. Hiei turned, his expression screaming for the baka to run, quickly, right now. But Kuwabara just smirked, striding over to look down at the little fox half buried in Hiei's hair.

"Who knew Kurama was so attached to you," he drawled, before bursting into laughter again.

Hiei's eye twitched and Kuwabara blinked suddenly as the fox moved. One moment its little head was hidden in the demon's thick hair, and the next it was focused up on him, tiny golden eyes glinting as its teeth parted and it let out a sharp hiss. Kuwabara jerked back in surprise.

"I didn't know foxes hissed..." he said softly, his voice a bit quieter.

"Baka," Hiei spat, turning away again. "I'm leaving."

He was about to rush back to the Reikai when Botan floated to him, her eyes wide.

"Where are you taking him?" Botan asked, not quite understanding Hiei's sudden frown. "You can't take Kurama back to the Makai with you! We have to let Koenma-sama turn him back into himself."

"What!" The girl blinked at him and Hiei rocked back on his heels, pointing to the weight on his head. "You think I'd go back there with this thing?"

Mukuro would never let him hear the end of it if he did such a thing. Hiei glared at the brainless female. Yusuke moved to smirk at him and Hiei's eyes widened when something soft and damp lapped at his pointing fingertip. He jerked away immediately.

"Ha! He really likes you," Kuwabara crowed, grinning at the demon's furious expression.

The little fox turned to stare at him again and his mouth snapped shut. That gold-eyed gaze was unnerving, despite the fact that it was obviously a baby. Then Hiei turned away and Kuwabara shrugged the feeling aside. Whatever was going on, Koenma would explain it once they got to the Reikai.

.-.

Koenma's eyes grew huge the moment they entered his office. He waved Hiei to him and leaned in for a close look at the little fox still curled on the demon's head. He stared at it for a few minutes, tilting his head. Then he poked its side and jerked back before its snapping mouth could catch him.

"Yes, yes," murmured Koenma, "I see..."

"You see what?" Hiei asked, glaring up since he couldn't move his bowed head. "It's Kurama. Take him so I can go back."

"I can't," Koenma said quickly, stepping back and sinking down in his chair. "What would I do with a baby youko? Besides, once they've bonded there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"What are you talking about?" Hiei growled. That foreboding he'd felt earlier was returning with a vengeance.

"Then it is a baby," Kuwabara said, eyes wide as he moved closer to them. Yusuke shot him a glance and he shrugged. "I was thinking it had to be a baby, as small as it is. Then Kurama really was a fox as a baby..."

With a somber nod, Koenma sighed. "Yes, it's a baby. A youko is a demon fox that shifts between fox and humanoid form. The youkai who attacked must have used something on Kurama to regress him back to his childhood. And judging by the size, I'd say it's close to a newborn."

Yusuke blinked suddenly, remembering what Kuwabara had told him some time ago. "You mean like that stuff they used in the tournament. That smoke screen that made the announcer a little girl."

"Hai," Koenma nodded. "But whatever caused this must have a longer effect, if he's been like this for the last two days. It's a good thing he's in fox form. His humanoid form at that age wouldn't have been able to live even that long by itself."

Koenma let out another sigh and glanced over at Hiei. The demon's eyes were focused upward as if he could see the fox on his head.

"There aren't any spells that make youkai stay young, so this should wear off eventually. It's just a matter of waiting it out."

"Can't you do something to counteract it?" Botan asked, her eyes flicking back to Hiei. "Kurama doesn't even know what he's doing. He scratched Yusuke earlier."

This caught Koenma's attention, and he smirked, glancing at the dark-haired boy.

"Really," Koenma smirked. "What exactlly were you doing to make him scratch you, Yusuke?"

"Huh? I was just trying to get him off Hiei..." There was an odd expression on Koenma's face and it made Yusuke's eyebrow twitch. "Why?"

"Well, as I said, a baby youko is like any other infant youkai. Their bonds are very strong. And judging by its perch," he smiled at Hiei, "I'd say Kurama's found a parent. He'd naturally attack anyone who tried to separate them, or threaten either of them."

"So...Hiei's stuck with him until the spell wears off?" Yusuke's mouth was twitching again, and he resisted the need to look at Hiei. "What's he supposed to do with him? I mean, how long before it wears off?"

Koenma shrugged carelessly, fingers tapping the side of his chair. "I doubt it would last more than a few weeks. I'll send word to Mukuro. Hiei, you can stay in Kurama's house until then."

Eyes fiery, Hiei grabbed Koenma's shirt, jerking him into a standing position atop the chair. "You think I'm going to - to play parent to this?"

Pointing at the bundle curled up in his hair, he bared small fangs. "No. I don't care if you have to knock it out, you take the thing."

"Hiei, calm down," Yusuke said, his eyes wide as he put a light hand on the demon's tense shoulder. "We'll help you out."

"I don't need help because I'm not doing it," Hiei said, not taking his eyes off Koenma.

The junior king of hell pulled his shirt out of Hiei's grasp and put more space between them.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," he said, his voice a touch harder. "Even if we did remove the kitsune from you, it would surely follow you wherever you went. And the consequences could easily be Kurama's death. It's only a few weeks."

"Besides," Yusuke added, doing his best to calm the little demon down, "it is Kurama."

He had an idea Hiei was seconds away from ripping the fox out of his hair and flinging it at Koenma. His own face still hurt and he didn't think the young king would enjoy that performance much. Not to mention the fact that the baby fox would probably just jump back to Hiei as soon as it was done scratching the daylights out of Koenma.

"You wouldn't just turn your back on a comrade," Yusuke wheedled, "would you, Hiei?"

Red eyes flicked up at him and he frowned when Hiei raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come off it," Yusuke sighed. "I know you better than that. After all the times Kurama helped us - helped you out, the least you can do is help him. He's vulnerable."

He glanced up at the little fox, smiling when its eyes met his. "And cute, too."

"Ch'." Hiei glared. Again with the debt. If it hadn't been for that... "You really expect me to wait for weeks with this thing on my head?"

Koenma smiled. "I'm sure once he's in a place he deems safe, Kurama will calm down. Just take him back to his house. If he remembers anything at all, he'll feel better in a familiar environment."

Hiei was still glaring at him, but he settled down in his seat again, smile firm on his face. "Let me know if there's any change."

"Kisama..."

"Come on, shrimp," Kuwabara spoke up, grinning as he moved to stand next to Yusuke. "We'll see you and your kid home. I can't wait to tell Kurama about this when he's back to normal."

"I plan to have a talk with him myself," Hiei muttered darkly, turning toward the doorway.

Yusuke winced a bit at the demon's evil voice, but he still smiled as he followed Hiei, Kuwabara right behind him. This was going to be interesting.


	2. Part 2

Since his mother's marriage, Kurama had a house of his own, complete with a privacy fence surrounding the garden in the back. Luckily, the backdoor was unlocked so the three males slipped in that way. Botan hadn't gone with them, but she'd promised to stop by that evening, just in case they needed anything. 

As soon as Hiei stepped through the open glass door, he sniffed at the vase of red roses on the kitchen table. In his vision earlier, they'd seemed fresh, but crinckled petals dotted the tabletop. It made sense if Kurama had been outside for the last two days.

Yusuke shut the door behind them and joined Hiei next to the table, noticing where the demon's eyes were directed. "I guess he couldn't get back in, ne?"

"How did he make that pile of vines?" asked Kuwabara.

His sparking eyes were locked on the little gray fox peeking out of Hiei's hair. Once again it focused on his voice and he grinned. Stepping closer, he leaned down to meet those golden eyes. "Do you remember me, Kurama?"

Hiei was glaring at him, but Kuwabara laughed when the kitsune sniffed before burying its nose in thick black hair.

"Well," grinned Kuwabara, "how smart is he? If he's a newborn, you might want to get him out of your hair before he has an accident."

Red eyes blinked in confusion and Yusuke snickered merrily.

"What's funny?" Hiei growled, frowning as his eyes flicked from Kuwabara to Yusuke.

"Oh," Yusuke smirked, "we're just wondering if he's bathroom-trained. Wouldn't want him going on your head, right?"

Gnashing his teeth, Hiei's eyes turned upward, his glare wasted since the kitsune couldn't see it. "Do it and die."

There was no response and he frowned, glancing around the room. Koenma had said once Kurama was in a familiar place he'd get down. Surely this was familiar enough. With a deep breath, he reached toward his hair, fingers curled in case the fox tried to bite him. Kuwabara took a quick step back and Hiei's eyebrow twitched. The kitsune's fur was silkier than his own hair and he relaxed a bit when his hands closed over the bundle of fur. Not only did it not bite him, but it actually seemed to relax, pressing close to his hands. It wasn't until he tried to lift it that he met with resistance.

Yusuke had been expecting trouble the moment Hiei reached for his head, and he eased farther away, eyes glued to the little fox's face. That small mouth was closed tight around a wad of Hiei's hair. The short demon hesitated for a second, and Yusuke winced when Hiei abruptly jerked the kitsune free.

Small feet kicked at his hands, but Hiei held it tight between his palms, moving his arms down so he could see the struggling thing. Tiny golden eyes looked up at him and the fox went limp so suddenly that he wondered if he'd crushed it. But he could feel the quick fluttering beneath that silky silver fur. He dropped it on the table with a silent, but relieved, sigh.

"Be careful," Yusuke admonished.

He frowned at the way the little kitsune wobbled on tiny feet. The drop hadn't been more than a foot, but it was just a baby. He was tempted to give Hiei a lecture, but didn't get the chance. Baby or not, that little fox regained its feet and was attached to Hiei's shirt in less than four seconds. Yusuke let out a surprised laugh that Kuwabara instantly echoed. Hiei was the only one who didn't think it was funny.

Gold eyes aimed at him and Hiei grabbed the fox before it could climb all the way to his neck. He didn't doubt it was aiming either for his head, or an entrance into his shirt. Holding the kitsune immobile, he peeled it free and moved that little face so he could glare at it.

"Kurama..." Tiny ears flattened against the fox's head and he moved it a few inches closer, his voice a low growl. "Climb in my shirt again and I'll leave."

"He's just a baby," Kuwabara frowned, pushing Hiei's shoulder. "You'll scare him."

Red eyes snapped to him and he blinked when Hiei released the fox. It immediately latched onto his hand with small but sharp teeth. "Itai! Itai! Let go!"

"Baka."

With a snort, Hiei folded his arms and turned to smirk at the flailing Kuwabara. The little fox's jaws really did grip hard. Despite the large ningen's flapping arm, it held on, little body clutching Kuwabara's wrist.

"You don't listen well," Hiei remarked.

"Eh?" Kuwabara blinked. It didn't hurt that bad. Kuwabara calmed down a bit, looking warily at the little animal clamped on his hand. That silver mouth was spotted with red and he abruptly flailed the arm again. "I'm bleeding...!"

Kuwabara looked ready to knock his hand against something, and Hiei sighed when Yusuke moved to help. He was fairly sure Yusuke would pull the fox off and get another scratch along his face for the effort.

Stepping to Kuwabara, Hiei glared at the teen's wide eyes. "Be still, baka."

"This is your fault!" Kuwabara cried, stilling as well as he could with a rabid fox attached to his hand. "Why'd you sic him on me?"

Hiei had the nerve to smirk and Kuwabara glared down at him, sticking his burdened hand out. "Take him back!"

"Kurama," Hiei said calmly.

His gaze followed the little bundle of silver when it leapt off Kuwabara, and he caught it halfway to his hair. The fox struggled a bit as it was cut off from its target landing. Moving it to about the height of his chest, Hiei frowned, ready to continue his interrupted lecture.

"None of that, either," he warned. Those little ears flashed back again and he nodded sharply. "Stay out of my hair and my shirt."

Yusuke and Kuwabara were watching him with surprised respect and he lifted his chin a bit, giving them a condescending look.

"Youkai are not stupid," said Hiei, "even as infants."

"Then he understands you?" asked Yusuke.

He didn't bother to look when Kuwabara moved to wrap up his hand. He didn't really think his friend was injured that badly. Besides, he really was surprised at how tame the little fox appeared. It turned to stare at him and he smiled, leaning close to Hiei's hands.

"Oi, Kurama," Yusuke greeted. "How's it going?" The fox stared at him for a second before its ears eased forward. "Why'd you pick Hiei for? I'm better with animals. I did have a dog once."

"He's not a dog," Hiei growled, jerking the fox away from Yusuke's smiling face. He could just imagine what the ningen would do if he'd been left to care for the baby youkai. Yusuke would be waiting on it hand and foot as if it were helpless. "He's a youkai, fox or not."

Raising an eyebrow, Yusuke looked over his friend's angry expression. "Defensive, aren't you?"

A smirk broke over his lips and he glanced back at Kuwabara. The orange-haired teen was washing his hand in the sink.

"Oi, Kuwabara," Yusuke called, "Hiei doesn't want us to help him. Why don't we leave him alone?"

"Kisama-"

"Fine," Kuwabara said, frowning over his shoulder. He didn't know if demon foxes carried rabies or not, but he definitely didn't want to get a shot in the butt if they did. "I can't believe Kurama bit me. Me! Why would he bite me when Hiei's the one who was being mean to him? I was sticking up for him!"

"Ah," Yusuke said, moving toward Kuwabara. "Hiei probably tossed him at you and you just didn't see it."

"Nani?" Hiei snapped. "I did not!"

The two ningens didn't so much as glance back at him and Hiei glared, not sure what to do. He didn't need help, at least, he didn't think he did. But he didn't want to be left to watch the kitsune, either. In fact, he didn't even want to be here. "Yusuke. If you want him..."

His arms had dropped a little, and he frowned when the fox pressed close to his stomach. He'd just been thinking that Yusuke didn't know enough about youkai babies to take care of it. But still...

His eyes glinted suddenly and he relaxed his stance, his voice careless. "So you'll just abandon your comrade? After all the times he's helped us - helped you...?"

Brown eyes snapped around in surprise and Hiei barely kept the smirk off his face.

Hiei was using the same words he'd used. Yusuke frowned in disappointment. He hadn't really planned to just abandon Kurama. He'd hoped to get Hiei worried enough to beg him to stay, but it obviously wasn't going to happen. Kuwabara was looking uncertain, warily glancing from his wounded palm to the fox in Hiei's hands.

Yusuke shrugged, smirking at Hiei's waiting expression. "No, I'm not going to abandon him. After all, I wouldn't miss this for the world. You, taking care of a baby Kurama? That's a once in a lifetime thing, I just wanted to go get a camera."

Kuwabara's eyes widened as a slow grin replaced his previously pained look. "Pictures! My sister has a camera."

"Great," Yusuke smirked, catching the way Hiei turned to glare at them. "Why don't you call Shizuru and see if she wants to come over. I bet she'd be mad if she missed this."

"And Yukina-chan," Kuwabara smiled, his face lighting up.

"Botan's coming back later," Yusuke nodded, "so I can get Keiko over here and we can have a party. I always thought Kurama had the best house for partying."

"What?" Hiei's eyebrow twitched when the two excited boys turned to look at him in surprise. "You plan to celebrate this?"

Yusuke grinned at the little fox that was looking up at him with sedated, half-closed eyes. He nodded merrily. "Yep."

He was a little surprised that Hiei was still holding the kitsune, and even more surprised that the strong demon hadn't squeezed it to death yet, but his eyes glinted with mischief.

"I always wondered what Kurama's fox form looked like," Yusuke admitted. "I'd never have thought it was so cute. He's adorable."

Hiei snorted, glowering at the soft fox. Its tapered face was turned toward Yusuke and Hiei's eyes narrowed slowly, noting how relaxed the kitsune was. Obviously Kurama retained some remembrance of the dark-haired youth. He didn't really believe what Koenma had said about baby youkai bonding that quickly. His eyes glinted as he crossed to Yusuke.

"You want to hold him?" asked Hiei.

There was something in Hiei's tone that made Yusuke wary, and he frowned at his friend.

"He going to bite me if I do?" he asked, noting the way Hiei's lips twitched.

"Let's find out," Hiei smirked.

It only took a little effort to peel the kitsune's claws away from his shirt, and he held the squirming thing out to Yusuke, his eyes practically shining with suppressed mirth. The brave Urameshi blanched, watching the fox's jerking head and the way those little clawed feet pawed at the air.

"He's cute," Hiei murmured, his small fangs bared with his evil smile, "adorable, isn't that what you said...? Don't you want to hold the cute thing...?"

Just the way the demon said it made Yusuke's hands slide behind his back. He could just imagine Hiei offering him a bomb with those same words, and that tone of voice. Kuwabara had moved beside him, and he glanced up as the orange-haired youth shook his head in warning. Then something was pressed against his stomach and Yusuke jumped. A low snort made his healing cheeks burn for a second before he glanced down to where Hiei had pressed the little fox against him. The kitsune's neck was arched as it looked up at him, and Yusuke managed a tentative smile.

"O-oi, Kurama...hi there..." Golden eyes blinked at him, making his smile turn real. "You are cute like that..."

"Be careful," Kuwabara whispered, staring down at the seemingly innocent kit. "Any second now and he'll go for your face. Don't let that cute expression fool you."

"Baka," Hiei muttered, almost by reflex.

His gaze flicked away from the taller youth, his eyes narrowing as Yusuke brushed tentative fingers over the silver fox's sides. The moment those hands were in place, Hiei pulled away. He waited, watching the kitsune. And nothing happened. The little fox merely looked up at Yusuke, its ears tilted forward.

Hiei scowled. "Ch'."

"He's so soft," Yusuke smirked, his left hand cupping the little kit as he petted its head. Kuwabara eased a bit closer, and he grinned up at him. "Hard to believe that's Kurama, ne?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara sniffed, frowning at how well behaved the fox was in Yusuke's hands. "First he jumps Hiei, then he bites me, and now he's letting you pet him. I'll never let him live this down. Never."

Yusuke let out a light laugh, smiling as he rubbed a finger behind the little fox's ear. That tapered head tilted to the other side, leaving the spot easily accessible. "Guess he's comfortable now, just like Koenma said."

His gaze flicked to Kuwabara for a second, and he smirked at the way the boy was looking at the fox. He was very familiar with Kuwabara's affection for little furry animals, and he imagined it bothered him to have gotten off to such a rocky start with the kitsune. Catching his friend's eye, Yusuke nodded down at the fox. "Why don't you try petting him."

"And get bit again?" asked Kuwabara, his eyes wide. "No way."

"He only bit you because you shoved Hiei," Yusuke reminded him, "besides, he's all sweet now."

The orange-haired teen blinked down at the kit with wariness, but he could see the way Kuwabara's hands twitched to touch the little fox's silky fur.

"Just move slow," said Yusuke. "If he tries to flinch or anything, pull back. I won't let him go like Hiei did."

"Eh..." Kuwabara leaned down a little, but he hesitated a few inches from the little fox. "Oi, Kurama."

Gold eyes turned on him, and he frowned, watching those pointed ears. They moved back against the kit's head and he sighed. "He doesn't like me. Why doesn't he like me...?"

Yusuke shook his head at him, but Kuwabara's eyes fell again. The kitsune was still staring at him, but those tilted ears had moved, just a bit, at the sound of his voice.

"You remember me," said Kuwabara, smiling a bit when those ears continued forward more. "You're as cute as my kitty."

The fox's nose stretched toward him, and Kuwabara grinned when it sniffed his injured hand. He was about to pet the sweet thing when those ears suddenly flew back. He immediately jerked his hand away.

The previously peaceful animal tensed against him, and Yusuke blinked when its head whipped around, those small feet tugging at his shirt. "Kurama, what's wrong? You know Kuwabara!"

Gold eyes turned on him, and Yusuke's eyes widened, feeling the rapid heartbeat beneath all that soft fur. "Oi..."

The tapered head jerked to the side, looking away. Yusuke's expression fell into a dangerous glare at what he saw.

"Where do you think you're going, Hiei?" Yusuke drawled.

Hiei flinched, his shoulders jerking upward for a second as he froze just inside the back door. He'd been so close! Gritting his teeth, he looked over his shoulder, sending a glare back to match Yusuke's. The baka was glowering at him as well, and he sniffed. "Out."

"Yaro," Kuwabara glared, holding his injured hand. "Koenma told you he was attached. You can't just leave."

"Watch me," Hiei snorted.

The kitsune was pulling frantically in his hands, and Yusuke smirked suddenly. Hiei had turned toward the door again, so the short youkai didn't get to see him let the fox go. Kuwabara jumped aside as the little silver streak made a beeline for the escaping demon. For something with such tiny legs, it certainly could move fast. Yusuke nearly collapsed in laughter when it disappeared inside the bottom of Hiei's cloak.

"You aren't going anywhere without him," Yusuke called.

Hiei stumbled, nearly going through the glass door. "Kisama...!"

Hiei's first instinct was to zip over to Yusuke and thrash the interfering ningen. But tiny claws were making their way up his leg, definitely taking precedence. He was torn between frustration and anger as he tossed his cloak aside once more. Then he glared heatedly down at the lump in his right pants leg.

"Kurama," he growled, his teeth gnashing, "I don't care who you are, or how young you are. If don't get out of there right now, you die."

The lump scurried higher, up to his knee, and Hiei's eyes widened. His body tensed, and he clamped a hand over his thigh, blocking any further progress.

"Omae o korosu..."

Yusuke swallowed his laughter when he heard that low growl, and he hurried over to Hiei. The demon had his back to him so he moved around, scowling when red eyes didn't look up at him.

"You can't hurt him," Yusuke muttered.

Hiei's teeth were visibly clenched, and Yusuke frowned darker when he didn't look up. It was then that he noticed where Hiei's glare was directed. He gaped for a second before choking, his hands clamped over his mouth.

From across the room, Kuwabara's eyes widened. "What is it?"

Dangerous red eyes met his gaze, and Yusuke cracked. "Is that a fox in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?"

Kuwabara had moved forward, but he stopped at that, his eyes huge. Then he lunged forward, catching Hiei's left wrist when the demon went for his sword. "What's wrong with you two!"

Hiei growled at him, and Kuwabara blinked, leaning away from the little demon's bared teeth.

"Let go of my wrist," Hiei spat.

He could hear Yusuke's loud laughter, and he jerked his hand free, wheeling around to glare daggers at the black-haired youth, who was lying on his back on the floor. The ningen was positively rocking with laughter. Hiei kicked him with his free leg, sneering when the boy let out a pained yipe.

"Itai!" Yusuke muttered, scooting away from that black-booted foot. "It's not my fault Kurama's in your pants."

Kuwabara's wide eyes snapped to him, and Yusuke grinned, pointing at the bulge just beneath Hiei's hand. The orange-haired teen took one look before busting into laughter.

That was it. Hiei switched hands rapidly, his right arm curving as he made a tight fist. Heat abruptly filled the room and he glared at the two surprised humans. The bandages on his arm sizzled away into bits of ash.

"Maybe I can't hurt him," Hiei whispered, his eyes taking on a somewhat maniacal gleam, "but you will die."

The baka backed up, Yusuke slowly standing up to join him.

Greenish black light was glowing through the white band around Hiei's forehead, and Yusuke raised his hands. "Eh, calm down. Gomen, ne?"

His eyes fell down and he felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the little lump shivering through the dark cloth. He could just imagine how it would feel to be touching Hiei's skin when he raised his youki like that. "Hiei, be careful, okay? You'll burn him..."

Slitted red eyes caught his gaze, and Yusuke winced when Hiei pointed a finger at him.

"Get out," Hiei ordered, dropping his youki, just a bit. "Leave the room."

"No way!" Kuwabara cried, glaring at the angry demon. "You think we're going to let you hurt Kurama? I'm not going to leave you alone with him. I don't trust you for a minute!"

Especially when Hiei looked ready to fry something or someone.

Sharp claws were kneading Hiei's skin, the little fox shaking and pushing against his hand. Hiei took a deep breath. "I won't hurt him. Just leave for a minute."

"Why?" Kuwabara demanded, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Yusuke frowned, but his mouth opened when he looked down. "Oh! He's in your pants!"

Hiei's head lowered, his shoulders shaking a little with repressed fury. Yusuke bit back a snicker. "Right..."

With a grin, Yusuke caught Kuwabara's shoulder and turned the teen. "Come on, Kuwabara, let's give Hiei a little privacy."

The orange-haired boy frowned at him, and Yusuke rubbed a finger over his nose, not daring to glance back. "Hiei's modest."

A growl sounded behind him, and Kuwabara's eyes widened a second before the tall youth darted out of the room. Yusuke followed him, but paused in the doorway.

"Let us know if you need help," he offered, snickering at the answering growl.

Though Hiei couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted to kill those two so much, he ignored his anger for the moment. Speed and dexterous fingers made short work of his belts, and he had a fistful of fur within seconds. A whole mess of bloody scratches covered his leg, but he wasn't really worried about them. Such small wounds would heal in an hour or less.

The little fox was limp in his left hand as he redressed, and he frowned at it when he finished. He couldn't have hurt it that badly, at least he didn't think so. He'd raised his youki, but most of the heat had been around his arm and jagan. The cloth on the rest of him hadn't ignited, so there was no reason to think the fox was injured. But it just hung from his hand, his fingers closed over the fold of fur along the kitsune's back.

A wave of discomfort hit him, and Hiei glared at the little thing, moving his arm so he could look into that tapered face. Its ears were flat against its head, those little feet curled and spotted with red. But it didn't open its eyes.

With a long sigh, Hiei grabbed his cloak and scarf and carried the fox outside. It didn't take a moment to spread the black cloth, and he sat down on it, putting the limp thing in front of his crossed legs. "Kurama."

The kitsune curled into a ball, hiding its face under that silver bushy tail. Hiei glared.

A glance told him the two idiots hadn't come back into the kitchen, and he glowered for a moment before snatching up the fox. Pale gold eyes stared at him, the kitsune shivering a bit but not giving any struggles, and Hiei frowned at the red smeared along its little feet. The last thing he needed was for the baby youkai to get a taste for blood, especially his blood. Rolling his eyes when those tiny ears flew back, Hiei caught one of those damp paws.

Yusuke peaked into the kitchen, unable to wait patiently, and he gave a sigh of relief when he spotted Hiei's back just outside the door. He hadn't exactly wanted to watch Hiei undress, but it had been a surprise to find the youkai so modest. Then again, Hiei had been embarrassed enough at his rude, if hilarious statement.

Smirking, Yusuke crossed the kitchen, Kuwabara following a few feet behind. The orange-haired fighter frowned, leaning out the door to see Hiei. Kuwabara abruptly let out a shocked cry, and Yusuke grabbed him without thinking, nearly sending the two of them onto Hiei's back. "Kuwabara!"

"He's eating him!" Kuwabara screamed, fury at the torture of adorable animals making him livid enough to nearly brain Yusuke with his fists. "That monster! Hiei, you monster!"

His tall friend was struggling something awful, and Yusuke almost let him go when he spotted Hiei's face. The black-haired demon was giving them a dull glare, but just as Kuwabara had said, Hiei was holding one of the fox's legs, the little foot in his mouth. Yusuke choked. "Hiei! What the hell?"

Bright gold eyes sparkled at Hiei, little ears tilted forward as the fox lounged in his hand. Hiei sniffed. Rolling his eyes at the horrified shrieks, he let the clean paw go and started on the next one. Some things were better left unexplained.


	3. Part 3

Bits of steam rose up from the pouring water, and Hiei's eyebrow twitched at the sight. He'd never actually seen the use of the so-called 'tub,' but this only confirmed how stupid humans were. Yusuke was kneeling on the bathroom floor, and the boy smiled as he tested the temperature.

"There," Yusuke nodded, wiping his hand on the towel he'd placed next to the tub. "We don't want it too deep or he might slip and drown."

With a mottled frown, Kuwabara touched a finger to the bath water. "It's kinda warm, isn't it? And that's a lot of water for a baby. He's small enough to fit in the kitchen sink."

"Yeah," Yusuke nodded, smirking up at his taller friend, "but I seriously doubt Keiko's going to want to cook if she has to clean fox fur out of the drain."

Kuwabara's eyes widened with joy, and he straightened quickly. "Keiko's cooking? Are you sure she'd do that?"

"For Kurama," said Yusuke. "If it were just me, I'd have to beg, but I know her. She'll take one look at Kurama and head right for the kitchen. I think it's got something to do with women instincts."

"Shizuru might help out," Kuwabara said, thinking about it. They hadn't called the girls yet, but he knew they'd be right over the moment they heard. "I think she's got a thing for Kurama." 

Dark eyes flew up to him, and Kuwabara sniffed at Yusuke's incredulous expression. "Really, she looks at him all funny. I've noticed."

"But she's too old for him!" Yusuke grimaced.

Hiei had heard enough. With a snort, he turned to leave the bathroom, gritting his teeth when Yusuke called out for him. 

"I am not putting him in that," Hiei growled, throwing a glare back at the boy. "He isn't dirty."

"We have to wash your nasty spit off him," Kuwabara glowered, disgust written over his face. "Otherwise he'll get sick."

A dangerous twitch moved Hiei's eyebrow, and Yusuke gave him a placating smile. "Come on, Hiei, I bet he'd like a bath. The water's all warm, and nice. Besides, it's Kurama. You know how obsessive he is about his appearance. He's been stuck outside for two days, I wager a bath is just what he needs."

Looking down at the silver fox curled on his shoulder, Hiei let out a silent sigh. Kurama did seem to be picky about his appearance. He couldn't remember ever seeing the kitsunes's hair in any way mussed. Golden eyes slowly turned to meet his stare, and he glowered at them. The kit seemed comfortable enough on his shoulder, though the compromise was one Hiei still didn't like. But he couldn't argue much with how the little fox had partially burrowed into the white scarf, pressing half inside it and close to his neck. The position did keep the kit from falling off when he moved. 

Yusuke stepped to him, and Hiei sniffed at the teen's wide smile.

"You're being awfully stubborn," Yusuke noted, his eyes glittering merrily when Hiei's scowl darkened. "You aren't afraid of water, are you?"

"Of course not!" Hiei snapped. 

The kit shifted on his shoulder, and Hiei glowered a bit, finally shoving past Yusuke so he could look down at the tub. That warm water was only about three inches high, not nearly enough to thoroughly wet the kitsune if it were to stand up, but he already had an idea the fox would not cooperate as easily as he had. It was true that some youkai did soak regularly in hot water, but that was to loosen muscles and had nothing at all to do with cleanliness. And as he'd told the idiots, the fox wasn't at all dirty. If Kurama represented the rest of the youko race, then they were naturally clean creatures. But it wasn't worth arguing over. 

"You want to stick him in that," Hiei muttered, crouching to touch a finger to the water. "It's too hot."

"What are you talking about?" Kuwabara frowned, brushing a hand in the warm water. "It's barely warm. Besides, if he can stand being so close to you, this will feel cold."

Hiei's eyes turned slowly, moving over Kuwabara's face as he smirked. "Baka."

"Oi! You want to-"

With a quick smile, Yusuke moved to crouch between the two males, effectively cutting off Kuwabara's invitation of violence. 

"I don't know much about babies," Yusuke said quickly, "but if it's too cold they get sick. I cooled the water enough so he won't get burned, don't worry."

"Worry?" Hiei snorted, his glare falling to the water again. "He's temperate. Put him in that and his body will shut down. He hasn't been active enough to need that."

Kuwabara frowned, straightening a bit so he could see past Yusuke. "Weirdo, what are you talking about? It's a bath, they're supposed to be warm." 

Red eyes flicked to him, and Kuwabara blinked in surprise. Hiei wasn't glaring at him for a change, just looking at him funny.

"What?" asked Kuwabara.

"Youkai only use heat for relaxation," Hiei stated, his gaze steady. "He's already been too inactive today."

Yusuke choked, his expression incredulous. "Inactive? You call him climbing all over you and attacking Kuwabara inactive? He's a baby."

With a glare for the reminder of his earlier escapades, Hiei nodded. "Yes, inactive. He used his youki to make that nest, but that may have been two days ago. His body is too relaxed already." 

Hiei's gaze fell to the little head peaking out of his scarf and he glowered at those bright gold eyes. "He'll get lazy..."

"That's it," Kuwabara said sharply, standing so he nearly towered over the crouching males. "You know nothing about babies. Koenma said he was a newborn. Newborn babies are supposed to lay around. All they do is eat and sleep, everyone knows that."

"You disgust me."

Yusuke's eyes widened at the flat way that statement was delivered, and he raised his hands, frowning first at Hiei, then at Kuwabara. "Okay, guys, that's enough of this discussion. You obviously have...different ideas of parenting. But right now we're talking about giving Kurama a bath, remember? Let's just stick with that. Okay?"

Closing his eyes, Hiei turned his face away from the two humans. He had to, if he was going to keep his temper. They were the ones who knew nothing. Babies were only supposed to eat and sleep? How did they think baby youkai got the food to eat if they were sleeping all the time? It was one more bit of proof that humans were weak, and they obviously raised their children by giving them everything. The very thought disgusted him, making his hands curl into fists. But Yusuke was right about the matter at hand. There was no point even trying to explain youkai ways to the stubborn humans. They'd learn eventually. For the second time that day, Hiei realized what a good thing it was that Kurama had latched onto him, and not one of the idiots. 

"Fine," Hiei muttered.

"Yeah," Kuwabara said, easing down again, "but what do we do about the bath?"

"Compromise," Yusuke smirked, poking a light finger at Hiei so he glanced over at him. "The water's too warm, right? So if I add a little cold, that'll fix things, right?"

"It should be all cold."

Kuwabara let out a frustrated groan, and Yusuke sighed, giving in to a frown. 

"Look, Hiei," Yusuke lectured, "you have to work with us here. Just think, Kurama's not going to be a baby for long, so what does it matter if he's a little lazy right now? If we put him in cold water, he'll get sick. And believe me, there's nothing worse than trying to take care of a sick pet."

"P..." 

Hiei's jaws hurt from how tightly he'd clamped his mouth shut, but he did his best not to repay the insult. He knew very well that 'pets' were considered inferior to humans, and to hear a youkai denounced as something so low made him want to pummel his sometime-comrade. But this wasn't the time. With a deep, only partially calming breath, Hiei relaxed his glare. 

"He isn't a pet," he said slowly, his red eyes holding Yusuke's surprised gaze.

"Right..." Yusuke drawled, still caught off guard by the absolute fury that had flashed in Hiei's eyes. Turning to the tub, he shrugged quickly. "Well, anyway, let's just give him the bath and then we can call the girls. I don't know about you two, but I'm starving."

"What's the matter," Kuwabara smirked, "can't cook for yourself?"

"Why should I?" Yusuke sniffed. "I'm no good at cooking, and besides, Keiko forbid me from the kitchen the last time I tried." 

A soft snort reached him, and he turned to look at Hiei, ignoring his mocking expression. 

"Well?" he prodded, waving a hand at the little interested face watching them from inside that white scarf. "Get him in there."

When he'd ensconced the fox on his shoulder, Hiei had also discovered an easy way to remove him. Unwrapping the scarf, he bundled the kit in the cloth so those surprised struggles didn't even scratch his neck. Wide eyes watched him, the kitsune's little ears edged back a bit. Hiei frowned suddenly. What was he supposed to do, just drop him in the tub? If the infant youko had any sense, it would leap right back out and then his clothes would be all wet. 

Since Yusuke was the one who'd suggested this unnecessary cleaning, Hiei turned his glare on the black-haired boy. "What now?"

"What do you mean?" Yusuke blinked. "You put him in the water and then roll him."

Kuwabara's eyes widened and he grabbed Yusuke's shoulder, giving the boy a rough shake. "Are you kidding! You'll drown him!"

"Not if it's only for a second," Yusuke said, his voice going soft with a hint of uncertainty. "You grab his feet and dip him on his back so all the fur's wet." 

His friend's face was turning red with anger, and Yusuke leaned away, his tone dropping to a vague mumble. "That's what they say you do with cats..."

"I had no idea you were such a horrible person," Kuwabara growled, a bit of disappointment joining his angry expression. "That's the worst thing I've every heard. First off! Cats clean themselves, they don't take baths in water - they hate water. And this time," he blinked, frowning a bit, "I agree with Hiei. This isn't a pet, it's Kurama. You really want to grab Kurama's feet and duck him upside down in a bunch of water? If you even think about it, I'll beat you myself."

"Oi," Yusuke mumbled, raising his hands in chagrin. "Sorry! What do I know about bathing babies? How would you do it?" 

Kuwabara sniffed, and seemed to puff up with pride.

"First you set him in the water," Kuwabara explained, still looking at his 'friend' with a distrustful gaze, "and then you take a little cup and pour water over him."

"Forget it," said Hiei.

Two pairs of eyes turned to him in surprise, and Hiei glared at them both. "You are not capable of doing this." 

Yusuke's mouth opened, but Hiei rose, interrupting with a sharp tone, "The water is too hot for a bath. He doesn't need a bath. You don't know how to give a bath. Forget it."

Kuwabara, who was still feeling a bit superior for knowing the best way to bathe an infant frowned. "But-"

"When he needs a bath," Hiei interrupted, "I will give him one. Until then, I will not put him in that," he waved at the water, "with you incompetents nearby."

Hiei had already turned to the door, and Kuwabara hurried after him, Yusuke a step behind. 

"But you'll put him in cold water and he'll freeze!" Kuwabara scowled.

"I won't use cold," Hiei sighed, glaring back at him.

"You promise?" 

The little fox was curled in the scarf, held in the crook of Hiei's arm, and Kuwabara looked down at it with concern. He didn't know how babies were treated in the Makai, but he seriously doubted Hiei's 'doctrine' was normal for infants. Somehow, he had an idea the short demon didn't know much more than they did.

"Yes," Hiei spat, turning away and stalking to the kitchen, "so drop it."

"Fine," Kuwabara spat back, making a face at the irritating demon, "but don't let him lick his feet until they're washed off!" 

Hiei stiffened visibly but didn't look back. Kuwabara exchanged a quick smirk with Yusuke. 

"Well," Kuwabara shrugged, "so much for the bath."

"Yeah," Yusuke sighed, folding his arms. "And I was kinda looking forward to washing that fur. I can't believe Kurama actually has shampoo that smells like roses. I always figured that was because he keeps plants in his hair." 

Snickering lightly, Kuwabara glanced over to where Hiei had taken a seat at the table and was rewrapping the scarf, fox back in place on his shoulder. 

"Kurama really is weird sometimes," said Kuwabara. "I mean, just look at him." 

The kitsune was rubbing its cheek languidly against Hiei's neck, the jaganshi's impassive expression making it look like he couldn't have cared less. 

"Picking him of all people..."

"Ah, he's a baby," said Yusuke, "he doesn't know any better." 

Yusuke crossed the kitchen to the telephone. "He probably went for Hiei because he's a youkai, too, that's all." 

Kuwabara had followed him, and Yusuke smirked. "Why don't you let that water out? I'm going to call Keiko. And don't worry, I'll tell her to get a hold of Genkai over at the temple and see if Yukina can come over, too." 

A wide smile greeted that promise, and Yusuke watched the happy teen prance off to the bathroom. His gaze fell on Hiei, checking for the youkai's reaction to the possibility of Yukina showing up, but he didn't get the response he'd expected. Hiei's eyes were on the table, expression dark, but his unwrapped right arm was curved, fingers scratching against the kitsune's neck. Yusuke's lips curved into a wide grin and he turned back to the phone, doing his best to pretend he hadn't seen that little slip. 


	4. Part 4

The voice in the kitchen was getting louder with each passing second, and Hiei glowered at the tabletop in front of him. Warmth snuffled close to his neck, but he paid it little attention. His hands had fallen to the dark reddish brown petals surrounding the vase, pushing them into odd patterns. It was either that, or tap his fingers on the table, and he refused to resort to any visible signs of his impatience. Surely it couldn't be that hard to explain what was going on. Yusuke just didn't know how to talk to females. 

"Why would I joke about something like this?" Yusuke cried, his brown eyes wide as he stared at the phone. "No, I don't mean a youko, I'm talking about a kitsune - a fox! Yes, a fox. It's not stupid! He has a tail and everything."

Yusuke groaned, rubbing a hand over his slicked-back hair. "Yes, I know his youko form has a tail. But he's tiny, and he's not humanoid. He's a fox! You know? He looks like a gray mix between a cat and a dog, a fox. Yes. That's right. That's what I've been trying to say. He fits in my hand."

Kuwabara blinked worriedly when his friend's face took on an odd pinkish tint, and he leaned against the counter. He had a feeling it was better not to ask what was being said on the other side of that telephone. His sister wasn't easy to talk to when she thought a person was playing with her. A garbled groan escaped Yusuke's lips, and the boy jerked his head back against the wall, nearly hard enough to cause a crack.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! You are so perverted!" Yusuke glared at Kuwabara, a bead of sweat forming on his temple. "Look, just call the rest of the girls and get over here. We..."

His eyebrow twitched, and he could feel the blood rushing to his face. "Yeah, Shizuru, I'm sure he'll fit in your hand, too. Thanks for that image. Right. Bye."

Wide eyes blinked at him, and Yusuke tossed his hands in the air, almost hitting Kuwabara with the phone. "Your sister just accused me of...of..."

Kuwabara continued to blink big eyes at him, and Yusuke glowered, turning to slam the phone down. "She's so disgusting."

"What did she say?" Kuwabara asked, his stomach twisting as he wondered if he really wanted to know. Yusuke sneered, and Kuwabara shook his head. "Never mind. I told you she had a thing for Kurama, though, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Yusuke grimaced, "but you didn't say she was a perv."

A faint blush made it to Kuwabara's cheeks, and the orange-haired teen winced. "Eh..."

He shook his head, turning toward the table, and paused suddenly. There was something very odd happening over there. He raised a hand, one finger directing Yusuke's gaze to Hiei. His voice dropped to a whisper, and he frowned. "What's he doing...?"

Since he'd been sufficiently distracted by Shizuru's uncalled-for talk of Kurama's 'size,' Yusuke hadn't thought to keep an eye on Hiei. Now he blinked, frowning as well. Hiei was sitting close to the table, the vase of dead roses in front of him. The dried petals that had littered the tabletop when they came in were in a pile to Hiei's right, and he was shaking a rose over the pile. Tapping the dead flower against his right palm, Hiei knocked every last petal off the rose.

Yusuke's raised an eyebrow at Kuwabara, and they both moved to stand across the table from the occupied demon.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke asked, not hiding his doubtful expression when red eyes flicked upward to lock on him.

Hiei stared for a second, his hand pausing over the pile of petals.

"They're dead," he said succinctly.

His gaze fell back to the petal-less flower, and he lifted it to his shoulder. Tilting his head, he looked down at bright golden eyes. The kitsune sniffed at the dead stem, fresh white petals blooming to replace the ones Hiei had knocked off.

"Wow," Yusuke said, sitting down across from Hiei, "that's neat."

Kuwabara was still sending Hiei odd looks, but eventually he sat as well.

Yusuke shook his head at the kitsune's interested face. "I knew he had to have kept some of his abilities, if he made that nest outside. But that's pretty good for a baby, right?"

"Hn."

The little fox was looking far too proud of itself, and Hiei glowered when soft fur brushed his neck. Shaking the dark petals off another of the dead flowers, he leaned his head away from that playful cheek. The kitsune was standing on his shoulder, and it ceased that annoyingly soft rubbing when he pushed the stem under its nose. Another pretty white rose met with the vase.

Kuwabara watched for a while, but by the time Hiei had gone through half of the roses, he was starting to feel a little doubt. The kitsune barely seemed to brush its nose against the flowers before they bloomed, but surely it took energy to make the plants grow. Hiei was working with two hands now, tapping petals off with one hand, and lifting empty stems with the other. Shooting a glance at Yusuke, Kuwabara finally shifted against the table.

"Won't he get worn out doing that?" he asked, his voice holding a tiny bit of suspicion. Hiei smirked. "Oi!"

The kitsune leaned forward for the next flower, and Hiei moved his hand away from that outstretched nose. Sure enough, the moment the dead flower touched the table, the fox hopped down after it. If there was one thing he knew about Kurama, it was that the youko disliked dead roses. He didn't have to look to hand the flowers down to the kitsune, so Hiei rolled his eyes at Kuwabara.

"This is his skill," he reminded the ningen, including Yusuke in his derogatory gaze. "In his current state, this is exercise, nothing more."

"I get it," Yusuke snorted, shooting Hiei a mocking glare. "So he won't get lazy, right?"

Black eyebrows twitched down beneath Hiei's white headband, and Yusuke sighed. "He's only going to be like that for a few weeks at most. Why don't you let him enjoy himself? How many of us get to relive our childhoods?"

Red eyes abruptly narrowed, the glare making Yusuke blink in surprise. A few terse seconds passed before Hiei dropped his gaze, his jaw loosening slowly.

"You think I'm forcing him to do this?" Hiei drawled, his glare easing when the kit pressed against his empty hand. Snatching up the three remaining roses, he smacked them on his palm until the petals showered over the growing pile. "He is enjoying himself."

Yusuke looked down at the silver-gray fox, watching its twitching tail as it circled the three roses. "Ah."

Hiei had dropped his hands on the table, and the kit was pushing the stems, separating the dead flowers. Those little ears were certainly forward. And it didn't look to be tired. But he knew Kurama used youki to change his plants into weapons. How much youki did Hiei consider 'exercise?' Despite the Hiei's certainty, Yusuke was glad there were only three of those roses left.

Hiei watched as the fox crouched over first one, then another of the roses, white petals forming quicker than with the others. Small golden eyes turned up to him, and he picked up the flowers, placing them in the vase with the others. He waited for the last one, but the kitsune was still staring up at him, something about its flicking tail making him raise an eyebrow. For a moment, he was sure the rotten thing would jump on him. He blinked when its fur ruffled visibly. The pile of dark petals moved, and Hiei's eyes widened. The kitsune's youki was much higher than he'd estimated. Within a few seconds those formerly dead bits of plant were attached to the final stem, forming one of the biggest, darkest roses he'd ever seen. If the kitsune hadn't seemed so smug, Hiei might have smirked.

"That's so cool," Yusuke said, his eyes wide. "Does he know any other tricks?"

A soft laugh made him smile at Kuwabara, and he shrugged. "I hardly ever get to see Kurama playing with his plants."

"It's like watching a talent show," Kuwabara smirked, shooting a quick glance at the tail-waving fox. "I wish Shizuru was here with her camera."

"No," Yusuke drawled, "he hasn't done anything embarrassing enough to blackmail him for. He's just messing with his roses-"

The kit moved, and Yusuke's mouth closed sharply, his eyes wide. The little fox's shoulders were hunched, the effort obvious as it took the heavy stem in its mouth. "What..."

Kuwabara's mouth dropped open, and he wasn't sure if he should laugh or blush. "Oi..."

Though Hiei's first instinct was to scowl in confusion, all it took was one look at Yusuke's expression to know what the fox was doing. It was embarrassing him.

Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he frowned at the little kit, looking from that large rose in its mouth to those bright golden eyes. That fluffy tail was wrapped around the kitsune's feet, tapered face tilted up at him, and he had the distinct impression it was smiling around that bright green stem.

The fingers of his right hand twitched. There was no way he'd take that flower and become the butt of some stupid ningen joke he didn't understand. He just knew he was missing something. The baka's face was going a telling shade of pink.

Swallowing back a dangerous need to giggle, Yusuke took a deep breath.

"Why don't you take that, Hiei," he said slowly, keeping his voice sober. "It looks too heavy for him. Wouldn't want him falling off the table and into your lap."

Red eyes snapped up to him, and Yusuke failed to keep his lips from twitching. "Don't want a repeat performance of that, ne?"

"Ch'." With a dull glare for Yusuke's reminder, Hiei took the large flower.

The fox's tail flew away from its feet for a second before wrapping around them again. Hiei sniffed at those bright eyes. He still felt like something was going on, but the large rose did look interesting in the middle of all the smaller white ones. He pushed the vase back to its place in the middle of the table and shot a quick look at Kuwabara. The color had faded back to a more normal shade. Hiei relaxed a little. Then he looked back at the fox and frowned at the way its ears were drooping.

"What?" Hiei muttered at the fox.

Yusuke sighed, chewing on his tongue to keep from saying anything that would send Hiei off. It was obvious to him that the kitsune hadn't meant Hiei to put the rose with the others, but Hiei wouldn't get that. The anti-social demon had probably never been given a rose in his life.

"Maybe he's tired now," Yusuke teased, smirking when Hiei glowered at him, "after exercising so much."

"I bet he's hungry," Kuwabara said, leaning back in his chair.

He felt as if he'd just witnessed something he shouldn't have seen, but he couldn't quite say what. After all, Kurama was just a baby showing off his abilities for his chosen parent. His lips pursed a bit, and Kuwabara nodded sharply. That was all it was. Too much time with his hentai sister was rubbing off on his mind.

"Shizuru's coming right over, isn't she?" Yusuke nodded absentmindedly, and Kuwabara pushed the teen's shoulder. "And the others?"

"Eh?" Blinking, Yusuke turned his attention back to Kuwabara. "The others? Oh, the girls. Yeah, she's going to get them all over here. Don't worry. After they pet and fuss over Kurama, they'll want to feed him until he sleeps, then play with his hair. That's how girls are."

"I don't think we should let Shizuru touch Kurama's hair," Kuwabara muttered, his lips curling into a distasteful sneer. "Not if she was saying bad things on the phone earlier."

"Actually," Yusuke smirked, "she was acting like we were the ones doing 'bad' things. She really is sick, you know."

A flicker of movement caught his eyes, and Yusuke smiled when he saw the kitsune curling up on Hiei's shoulder. The black-haired youkai was sitting with his eyes closed, arms folded over his chest as the kit made itself comfortable in his white scarf.

"I just hope Kurama doesn't fall asleep before they get here," said Yusuke. "If he scratches Keiko, she'll probably hit me."

Kuwabara snickered, leaning back in his chair.

"And what would she do if he bit her?" he taunted.

Wincing, Yusuke looked over at the fox, watching those bright golden eyes. "Let's just hope that doesn't happen..."


	5. Part 5

They hadn't unlocked the front door, and sudden pounding alerted them to the slip. Yusuke winced when he heard Keiko calling to him, and he was right behind Kuwabara in hurrying to let them in. 

The abrupt noise, after blessed minutes of silence, snapped Hiei out of his light doze. Warm breath huffed close to his neck, and he echoed the sentiment, his nose wrinkling in distaste. He'd never been comfortable around the females. It was bad enough having to be where Yukina could see him, but with the kit on his shoulder, he was bound to be the center of attention. 

The thought made him glare and pull the scarf off his neck, fox firmly wrapped up in it. Gold eyes stared at him, a soft mewling whine making him blink in surprise. Aside from the occasional hiss, that was the first sound the kitsune had made. He was tempted to talk to it, but he could hear the girls enter the living room and decided to wait.

Shizuru was leaning in the open doorway, her cigarette held so the smoke drifted outside. She smirked as Yusuke waved his hands at Keiko, the boy's quick explanations not the least bit intelligible. Her foolish brother was simpering over Yukina, the girl standing a few feet away and watching Kuwabara's antics with her usual sweet smile. With one last drag, Shizuru sighed and flicked the butt away before shoving inside. 

"Well, Yusuke," she called, her eyes glittering when the boy froze and turned brown eyes in her direction. "Where's Kurama-kun?" 

The black-haired youth glowered at her, but didn't have a chance to answer. Hiei was abruptly in the room, his scarf held in his hands, and a silver face peaking out of the white cloth. 

Shizuru grinned. "Oh, he fits in your hand, too. How fortunate."

Yusuke groaned, smacking a hand over his face as he shook his head. A glance found that the innuendo had gone completely over Hiei's head, and he was relieved to see the youkai wearing only his regular blank expression. 

He took a step toward Hiei, meaning to show Keiko and the others, but the short demon didn't wait. Yusuke blinked as Hiei was in front of him in an instant, the bundled fox pressed into his hands. The next moment he spotted the black-clothed demon stretched out on the windowsill near the door, his face turned away from the room. How Hiei had managed to open the window in a second, Yusuke didn't have a chance to ask. The girls circled him too quickly.

"Kawai," Keiko whispered, her eyes bright as the little fox turned to look up at her. Gold eyes flicked at the three females standing near Yusuke, and she blinked when the baby ducked its head, struggling in the white cloth wrapped around its body. "Oh. Yusuke, he's scared..."

"Be careful, Yukina-sama!" Kuwabara warned, his eyes wide as he barely resisted pulling the short girl away from the fox cub. No matter how young the kitsune was, he would never let it bite Yukina. Not while he was on watch. "He looks cute, but he can be vicious."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. 

"Ah, be quiet," he sniffed, shooting his friend a droll glare. He caught Shizuru's raised eyebrow and smirked. "He's just worried because he got bit earlier."

"Then Kurama-kun remembers my idiot brother," Shizuru smiled, still looking down at the fitful fox. "I can understand that, but I never figured Kurama to be the biter." 

Keiko blinked startled eyes at her and she smiled, waving away her comment. 

"But he should remember us, too," said Shizuru. "Ne, Kurama-kun?" 

The little kit was chewing on the scarf, tugging the fabric with its teeth, and she glanced back to where Hiei was sitting. Red eyes met hers for a second before the youkai turned his face away again. She couldn't help the small chuckle that made it past her lips.

"Maybe he wouldn't be afraid if you set him down," Yukina said softly, blinking worried red eyes at the fox. Kuwabara shifted nervously beside her, but she paid him little attention. "He doesn't want to be confined like that."

"Eh?" Yusuke blinked. 

He looked at the fox, noting how still it had gone, and a small smile pulled his lips when that little face tilted up to look at Yukina. A bit of the white scarf was clamped between its tapered mouth, but its ears were forward, and he could feel something inside the cloth. He could almost bet its tail was wagging. 

His soft laugh made the fox flinch and turn its head back to look at him, and he smiled. "Okay, Kurama, I'll set you down, ne?" 

That twitching sped up until he was nearly cackling, and he smothered the sound as he went to set the bundled creature on the low coffee table. 

"Easy," he smirked, unwrapping the scarf and glancing at Keiko's smile. "He's excited."

"He's adorable," Keiko smiled, crouching down beside the table. The fox held still until the scarf was moved off its back, and she leaned back when it jumped free of the cloth. Yusuke's startled cry made her frown. "What's wrong?"

Eyes wide, Yusuke pointed at the crouching fox. "He has-"

"When did he grow another tail!" Kuwabara interrupted, his loud cry making his sister snort at him.

"Nani?" Hiei flitted in front of the tall human, his narrowed eyes frowning down at the kitsune. Just as the baka had claimed, two bushy tails were twitching back and forth in visible excitement. The kit had been looking at Yukina, but it whipped around at his voice, gold eyes glittering up at him. 

Hiei sniffed. "Youko..."

"How many tails is he supposed to have?" Keiko asked, her gaze moving from Hiei to Yusuke. Her fiancé and love-interest was shaking his head. For once she was glad Kuwabara hung out with the boy.

"He only had one a little bit ago," Kuwabara explained, leaning over to frown at the two-tailed fox. Yukina turned wide eyes up to him from the opposite side of the table, and he nearly melted when she smiled. "Ah..."

"He's a baby youko," Yukina said, tilting her head to smile at the pretty little fox. "How old are you, kitsune?"

Hiei's brow twitched when the fox immediately turned to the girl, and he fisted his hands, hiding them in the sleeves of his cloak. If Kurama so much as hissed at her, the kitsune was going to regret it.

Kuwabara flinched when the silver cub hopped a few inches closer to Yukina, that double tail swiping from one side to the other. 

"Careful," Kuwabara warned, his fingers jerking as he tried not to grab the fox. He didn't want to get bitten again, but he didn't trust the thing. One minute it was sweet, and the next it was a tiny monster. The small wounds on his hand ached, and he qualified that thought - it was a tiny monster with sharp teeth and strong jaws. "Ano..."

The fox hopped again, almost prancing in place, and Yusuke winced when he saw Hiei's shoulders jerk in response to the movement. Yukina was leaning a bit too close to the suddenly lively kit. 

"I don't think he's eaten for days," Yusuke said quickly, snatching up the discarded scarf. The kitsune made another fidgety hop closer to the pale blue-haired girl, and he leaned over the table, ready to grab it if it jumped for her. "We were hoping you girls might want to fix him something to eat. I'm sure he's starving."

"Yeah," Kuwabara said quickly, moving around the table to put a tentative hand on Yukina's shoulder. The girl didn't even glance up at him, and he shot a worried look to Yusuke. His sister was smirking from the other side of the table, and Keiko was staring at the kitsune as if it were a kitten rather than a rabid youkai. "You could help, too, if you want to, Yukina-sama!" 

The koorime finally looked up at him, and he gave her a bright smile, a light blush swamping his cheeks. "You make such wonderful tea."

"I would be happy to," Yukina smiled. 

Something tugged on her sleeve, and she let out a soft laugh as she looked back to the kit. The little fox was waving its tails and it let go of her sleeve the moment her gaze fell back to it. Golden eyes sparkled at her, and she smiled, ruffling her hand over its little head. 

"But Kurama-san wants to play," she said, a light laugh tickling her throat. "And I don't think he would like tea very much."

"We'll play with him," Yusuke said quickly, a wide grin spreading over his face as his hands curled over the scarf. "Really, don't worry about that."

"Are you trying to chase us off to the kitchen?" Shizuru drawled, her eyes flicking to the boy. Yusuke was looking decidedly high-strung. "Yukina-chan wants to play with him. We can fix something later."

"But he's hungry now," Yusuke returned, his forced smile threatening to crack around the edges. "We don't want to keep him waiting, do we?" 

A dark look hit him from the side, and he winced when he saw Keiko frowning at him. "Eh..."

"Yusuke, why are you being rude?" Keiko demanded, folding her arms in front of her chest. "We came over to see Kurama, not to cook for your lazy benefit."

"Ne, Keiko," Yusuke muttered, leaning away from the girl, "it's not like that..." 

He so did not want to get hit, but if Kurama bit Yukina, the fox was going to suffer a double-death. If Hiei didn't get him, Kuwabara was bound to. Getting smacked by Keiko was better than seeing the poor baby Kurama tortured by black fire and rei-ken. "Keiko..."

The fox was licking its chops, those bushy tails positively snapping back and forth, and Hiei glared at those tiny curled feet, watching the little claws. Yukina was tickling its ears, not seeming to notice the kitsune's state. The girl pulled back a little when the kit gave another of those lurching hops, and Hiei moved. 

Shizuru's eyes widened in surprise and Kuwabara gasped. The kitsune's odd growling cry even made the bickering couple shut up. Hiei's hand was curled around the tip of one of those tails, and he pulled on it, tiny clawed paws scraping on the table. Yukina's mouth fell open in surprise and visible disapproval, but the fox was more vocal. With a mewling growl, it rolled onto its back and clutched Hiei's hand with all four paws, seeming intent on chewing the youkai's fingers into tiny stumps.

"Ah!" Kuwabara cried, wincing at the sight of those snapping, gnawing jaws. "Watch out!"

Hiei's lips twitched, and he pressed his free fingers into the fox's stomach, making the kit rock back and forth as it attacked his hand. An odd urge to laugh made his eyes glint, and he nodded at Yukina, not actually looking at the girl. "He'd drink tea. Kurama loves the stuff."

"He does," Shizuru smiled, realizing that Hiei was actually playing with the seemingly rabid fox, "doesn't he."

"H-hai!" Yukina said, standing quickly. 

She wanted to stay and watch Kurama play, especially since she hadn't thought Hiei the type to play with a kit, but she knew Kurama had a preference for her tea. The redhead had praised it often when he visited Genkai's temple. 

"I'll make some now," she smiled, taking one last look at the mewling kit.

"Kurama-kun does so like your tea," Shizuru drawled, putting an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. She caught Keiko's uncertain gaze and nodded toward the kitchen. "Let's feed the fox before he eats Hiei."

Yusuke choked a bit, but managed to nod when the girls trooped off to the kitchen. The moment they disappeared through the doorway, he raised an eyebrow at Hiei's intent expression. "Why are you letting him chew on you?"

"He isn't drawing blood," Hiei said, not looking up as he started to get into the work. The fox was definitely filled with energy, and the sight of that second tail eased some of his earlier worries. Tugging on one of the tails, he smirked when the kit snarled a bit and whapped his hand with the free bushy appendage. "You know what this means?"

After watching for a few seconds, Kuwabara had a small smile on his face. "That you've had a kitten in the past?" he asked, letting out a laugh. "My kitty loves to play like that!"

"He means the tail," Yusuke said, bopping the orange-haired teen on the back of the head. Hiei gave a low chuckle, and he blinked in surprise. "Right?"

"It means he's getting older," Hiei informed them, his right hand moving to rub the kit's head, pressing the fur backward and infuriating the little youkai. "A youko evolves from a multi-tailed spirit fox. Four, perhaps five tails are normal for adults."

"I get it," Yusuke smirked, "he's growing up quicker than Koenma thought. Good for you, ne?" The youkai snorted, and Yusuke sighed, moving to slump down on the couch. "Guess that means we'll have to take lots of pictures now, before he gets old enough to stop being so funny." 

Hiei didn't look up, and Yusuke caught Kuwabara's gaze. "Speaking of which..."

"Ah!" Kuwabara grinned, darting out of the room. 

He returned a moment later with a camera held triumphantly in his hand. Yusuke made a shushing motion with his hand, and the tall ningen snuck a bit closer to where Hiei was crouched next to the table. Leaning to the side, Kuwabara snapped off two pictures in rapid, flashing light succession. And he immediately found himself on the receiving end of two glares, one red and one gold. If the fox hadn't had one and a half of Hiei's fingers in its mouth, he might have been scared. Instead, he grinned and took another picture. 


	6. Part 6

Though the kitsune didn't know what a camera was, he knew the bright flash of light wasn't something he liked. The first two flashes had made both him and Hiei freeze. The last one was an outright challenge. 

Kurama hissed and rolled, Hiei pulling his hands away with a dark smirk. Kuwabara looked a little worried at that quiet hiss. But it was the light yipping cough-like bark that made him jump. The little fox was crouched at the edge of the table, that silky silver fur bunched around his shoulders in an instinctive attempt to make him look bigger than he was. And his two bushy tails were snapping like rubber bands. Kuwabara had just enough time to turn on his heels before it launched itself across the room, chasing the much larger human into the kitchen.

Left behind, Hiei turned to stare at Yusuke, his lips twitching into an evil grin. Yusuke cackled and lurched off the couch, following Hiei after the pair.

"Aiiii!"

Kuwabara's high pitched squeal was answered by startled gasps as the girls turned en masse to see him nearly crash through the glass doors, a little gray bolt of fur hot in his heels.

Shizuru winced, waiting for the glass to shatter. But when she opened her eyes it was to find Hiei standing near the now-open door, his dark grin telling plainly that he'd opened it just to prolong the chase.

"Where'd they go?" Yusuke asked, a little breathless from his sprint into the kitchen since he'd been laughing all the way. He followed Shizuru's pointed finger and snickered, not minding the shocked look Keiko was giving him. "Kuwabara sure isn't a very good climber, is he?"

"Not when he's climbing over those plants," Hiei smirked.

The mass of vines that still filled the garden was currently surging and twining in waves, not grabbing so much as slowing down the large human who was trying to get over them to the wall beyond. Kurama was sitting at the edge closest to the house, his little tails flicking back and forth as he gave a toothy canine grin. A light shimmer of youki ruffled his fur, the thorns shifting into smooth vines as they swelled up to toss Kuwabara back down the rise, pushing him further from his attempted escape route. It was a sign of Kuwabara's infinite stubborn streak that he immediately scurried up the mass, just to be tossed onto his back yet again.

Hiei was thoroughly enjoying the display, leaning against the doorway and smirking as the dumb human just kept climbing. He was confident Kuwabara would do it indefinitely, not bright enough to realize the fox kit was only playing with him. The fact that Kurama had cleared the deadly thorns should have tipped him off, or that those nimble vines were only dancing beneath him instead of wrapping him up and squeezing the life out of him. But the orange-haired teen seemed convinced that the kit was trying to kill him, his panting breaths mixed with little whimpering sounds of fright and frustration.

If Yukina hadn't spoken, it might have gone on for the rest of the night.

"Ah! Kazuma-san," Yukina gasped, "what are you doing?"

The pretty koorime stared in worry as Kuwabara was once again rolled off the vines, falling onto his back.

"You shouldn't play such dangerous games." She left the kitchen, giving a quick nod to Hiei and Yusuke as she passed them. "You could hurt yourself."

"Yukina-sama!" Kuwabara flailed, pushing himself onto his side so he could see the fragile girl. That evil fox was sitting just a few feet in front of her and he scrambled to his knees. "I'll protect you, Yukina-sama!"

Hiei's eyebrow twitched in severe annoyance, but it was unnecessary. The kit wasn't through yet.

Kurama had glanced back when Yukina approached, his golden eyes glittering like mad. But the sound of Kuwabara's boast had snapped him back around again. With a dusty haze of youki, he jumped at Kuwabara, some of those mobile vines snagging the teen's ankles and sending him onto his back. A moment later he opened dazed eyes to find a little silver face staring down into his, wide jaws opened to show small but very sharp teeth. Kuwabara whimpered.

"Is it just me," Yusuke commented quietly, looking at Shizuru, "or did he just pounce Kuwabara? Not that it's really a hard thing to do, but Kuwabara of all people..."

"Maybe he's an appetizer," Shizuru smirked.

"Don't eat that," Hiei said, his voice carrying out to where the fox and human were. "He'll make you sick."

Kuwabara bristled at the insult, opening his mouth to shout that he certainly wouldn't make anyone sick. Then he realized the word 'eat' had been mentioned and he paled significantly. That toothy grin was still just above his face, light glinting on the edge of bright white canines. "Eh...he's not really going to eat me, is he? Not Kurama..."

His forlorn voice made Yusuke wince in a bit of sympathy, despite the humor of the scene. But it also made the kit jump from his chest to his neck, that open mouth right over his face so their eyes were even. A second later and the fox curled up on his face, huffing a satisfied little sound as it curled its tail around its legs and grinned at Yukina.

"What a clever fox you are," Yukina smiled. The kit huffed again, those tails sweeping along Kuwabara's neck. The tall human was stock still, whether from shock or lack of air, no one could tell, not with the fox lying on his face like that. "You caught him all by yourself. And Kazuma-san is very strong, I've seen him defeat many youkai."

Kurama swept his tails faster as she crouched beside him and Kuwabara, her pale hands moving to pet his silky back.

"But what would you do with him?" she continued, her sweet smile giving every evidence that she expected the fox to understand her words. "Youkai don't eat humans anymore. And you wouldn't want to waste your first big catch."

The little fox sniffed, poking his nose against the fluff of orange hair near him. Something about the scent must have gotten to him, because he snuffled, a little sneeze making his fur shiver. A moment later he was on his feet, and grinning up at the pretty koorime.

Yukina returned the smile, patting a very gentle hand on his head and brushing one felt-tipped ear. Then she turned and gave a bright, happy look at Hiei. It made the dark demon flinch with a flash of nervousness.

"Hiei-san?" Yukina called. "Don't you want to accept his prize? Kurama-kit caught him very well."

Yusuke let out a bark of laughter at Hiei's disgruntled expression and shoved on his friend's back. "Go for it, Hiei. I bet you always wanted someone to give you a great big lummox of a human. And just think, Kurama caught him for you. For a second there I thought he'd give the catch to Yukina. Kuwabara would have loved that."

Hiei scowled at the very idea, but he moved to join Yukina next to Kurama and his catch. Kuwabara's face was visible now that the kit was standing, and the teen's confusion blazed from his very wide eyes. The only greeting Hiei gave the baka was a disgusted sniff, his gaze shifting to the very smug looking kitsune still perched on the human's face.

"Throw it back," Hiei said, his distaste evident in his voice. "It's good for practice, but not worth keeping."

The fox looked quite disappointed by this. With drooping ears, it looked back down at that funny smelling hair and chuffed quietly. Then it hopped to the side, the vines shifting so Kuwabara was in a seated position before releasing him completely.

To his credit, Kuwabara didn't say the first thing that came to mind - which would have been a wild flurry of confusion and hurt anger, followed by a quick plea to get Yukina away from that psychotic Kurama-impersonator. Instead, he scowled and rubbed his arms.

"What's the deal? What do you have against me, anyway?" This was directed to the demented fox itself. The kit tilted its head in such an innocent manner that Kuwabara scowled. It was still adorable looking. "We used to be friends, you know."

"Of course you are," Yukina said pleasantly. She reached out to pet the fox again, her smile making Kuwabara deflate in his typical pile of happy mush. "Kurama-kit was very careful not to hurt you during your play together. But it's still dangerous. He's too young to have complete control of his youki. A safer game would be better, maybe just a simple stalking game. You like to stalk, don't you, kitsune?"

The little fox fluffed up, those two tails swiping cheerfully.

"But you should eat something first," Yukina continued. "Shizuru-san and Keiko-san have made some food for you. You and Kazuma-san can play later."

Kuwabara's face took on an odd greenish tint, but he managed a very sickly smile when Yukina looked to him with her lovely innocence.

"Yeah," he said, his voice faint. "We can play later..."

"That's nice," Yukina beamed. "You have such a way with animals, Kazuma-san. It's rare that a youkai would choose a human as his playmate. But I'm not surprised."

The sappy flattery made Hiei's stomach lurch in a wave of furious disgust. It was all he could do not to bop Kuwabara over the head for grinning at his sister like that. Insolent, ignorant, infuriating human. And Yukina was too sweet by far to be so close to the baka.

With a pointed look at the kitsune, who was currently rubbing his head all over Yukina's hand as if she couldn't pet him quite fast enough, Hiei cleared his throat. "If you're going to feed him, do it now. He may not be able to eat that disgusting baka, but he caught him cleanly."

"Yes," Yukina smiled, complimenting the fox again. "You must have been a very cunning kitsune in the Makai, Kurama-kit. Such a big catch would feed your entire pack, wouldn't it."

The silver kit tilted his head and fell back on his haunches in an almost thoughtful way. He stared up at Yukina for a long moment before looking past her to where Hiei was standing. His soft whine made Hiei wince.

Hiei gritted his teeth at the mockery he knew was coming, but he couldn't deny the way his conscience berated him. As stupid as the human was, he was certainly stronger than the typical youkai a young kitsune might go after.

"Nice pounce," he said sharply, not looking at the fox. "Bad prey. Can't be helped."

A soft huff caught his ear, and he relented, giving a very slight nod. Any hopes he'd had of the praise going unnoticed were dashed when the fox fluffed up and scurried over to him, landing right on his shoulder in a quick leap that proved appearances meant little when it came to youko kits.

Yusuke was grinning when he turned back to the kitchen, and Hiei pointedly ignored the boy. Yusuke could mock all he wanted, but for a juvenile fox demon, Kurama was impressive. He'd more than earned a little praise.

Two steps into the kitchen and a telling flash caught Hiei right in the eyes, the kitsune bristling on his shoulder. Shizuru smirked, not the least bit apologetic.

"It's a little too dark in here to go without the flash," she shrugged. "But I'm sure the pictures of the garden will come out lovely."

Kuwabara had climbed a little shakily to his feet, and he reached the doorway just in time to hear what his sister had said. His face paled, then darkened, before settling in a mottled mix of outrage. "You took pictures of that? Of me getting jumped by that-"

He bit off the insult, Yukina joining him in the doorway. If she really thought he and Kurama had just been playing, he couldn't exactly contradict her. After all, she looked so pleased with the idea of them being playmates. But...playmates? If what he'd gotten was right, the crazy fox had planned to eat him. There was nothing fun or playful about that.

"Of course I took pictures," Shizuru smiled. "You and Yusuke were the ones who wanted me to bring my camera. We wouldn't want Kurama to miss out seeing his little self having such fun, now would we?"

.-.  
TBC


End file.
